Call of Duty quickly became the new Medal of Honor when it was released for the PC.  It featured the same composer as Medal of Honor, similar gameplay, weaponry, and a familiar setting.

Call of Duty: Finest Hour isn't merely a port of the game you played last year.  This is a console-exclusive game with content you won't find anywhere else.  The controls have been tuned to console gamers' tastes (once again, Medal of Honor comes to mind).  Online play is available for those of you with a broadband Internet connection. 

A significant (and at first somewhat frustrating) difference between this game and the other war series is the level of difficulty.  Finest Hour more or less walks you through the first couple of battles, but once the game gets going, you're on your own.  It's sort of like a pop quiz.  "This is what you do," the teacher says.  Then all of a sudden they expect you to do it.  No asking for help either.  Get out there and get the job done.

As I said, this can be somewhat frustrating at first, especially if you're not expecting the game to be difficult.  You'd think with all the hours I've clocked in with Halo 2 that it would help me with this game.  Not the case.  Death can come easily since you don't have armor that recharges itself.

Finest Hour's weapon selection is superb.  Thompson, M1 Garand, the Browning Automatic Rifle.  It's unlikely that you've played a war game without firing at least one of these.  No war game should be without the staples, nor should it be without weapons from your enemies.  The Browning .30 Cal, Springfield, and M3A1 round out the rest of the American lineup.  Your enemies get to use weapons like the MP40 submachine gun, the Kar98k, and one of my favorites, the Panzershreck.  It's big, made of the finest material, and can take out a tank in just one shot.

There are times when you'll be at the helm of a tank or a turret gun.  You may be your company's only hope for survival against a heavy assault.  Enemies come on strong and fast.  Even the scripted attack scenarios will keep you on your toes.  Things happen that you can't change – inevitable deaths, explosions, etc. – but you're only making it worse if you stand around and do nothing.

The levels are big with multiple paths to take.  Usually only one of those paths is the correct one, but the game leaves the door open for you to explore and experiment.  The extra paths frequently lead to more ammo, health items, or a possible weapon exchange. 

The Call of Duty series is trying to be as realistic as possible, so you can't walk around with more than one weapon at a time.  Theoretically you might be able to carry two weapons in real life, but how likely is it that you would do so in the heat of combat?  Chances are you'd grab the weapon that seemed the most effective for the situation and dive into action.

This limitation doesn't hinder the experience at all.  It did make me think about the situation more often though.  What lies ahead?  Does the weapon I have load fast enough?  Is it powerful enough to get the job done?  These are the kinds of questions you'll be asking yourself.

The essence of Call of Duty is its Medal of Honor controls and gameplay.  I won't call this game a clone – it's too much fun to be called that.  But it couldn't have been made if the Medal of Honor team hadn't first laid the groundwork for this masterpiece.

Controlling your character through bullet- and explosion-filled locations is anything but a chore.  Strafing is a piece of cake with the left analog stick.  Your aim loses some accuracy in the PC-to-console translation now that the right analog stick controls your crosshairs, but as far as console games go, this is one of the best for aiming.  The programming and constant tweaking made all the difference.  The differences are so minute at times that you might not even notice them until you play a first-person shooter with poor programming.

Call of Duty's visuals are of the finest quality.  The intro is nearly exact to the intro to Medal of Honor: Frontline – lots of men in boats, moving toward land, trying to not get shot by the stream of bullets that never seems to end.  You can move the camera around to view the action from multiple angles.  The rest of the game is different, otherwise this would be reason to take the game back and demand a refund.  It looks great, but I'm glad this is more than a remake of MoH: Frontline.

Explosions, character reactions and interactions – it's top-of-the-line visuals from beginning to end.  The sound effects are as realistic as I, a person who hasn't lived through the real thing, can tell.  Dennis Haysbert provides excellent commentary on the war at hand.  This is clearly one of the more expensive games released this year and it shows. 

Love Medal of Honor?  Love Call of Duty?  Your affection for those games will diminish as your love blossoms for Call of Duty: Finest Hour.  It's got everything you love about the Medal of Honor series: same controls, addictive combat, superior graphics, and a bounty rustic weapons you won't see in futuristic or modern-day first-person shooters.

Gameplay: 8.9
First-person Medal of Honor-style warfare.  Great controls, stellar action, and several exciting missions that make the game nearly impossible to put down.

Graphics: 9
A tasty feast for the eyes – the perfect after-dinner treat that's satisfying when you stomach can no longer pack it in.  Not since Medal of Honor: Frontline was released has a PlayStation 2 game looked so real.

Hey, watch out for that...!  Oh never mind, I want to see what happens when the vehicle explodes.

Sound: 9
Michael Giacchino never fails to impress.  His latest epic score is deep and heartfelt, perfectly complementing the game’s horrific atmosphere.

Difficulty: Medium
One of the more challenging first-person shooters on the market.  Run-and-shoot tactics won't get you very far in this game.

Concept: 7
The original Call of Duty took the Medal of Honor concept and turned it into the game they wanted.  Now they've done it again, only this time for the console market.  Their take on first-person shooting is excellent, no argument there.  But is it innovative?  Does it do something grand that no one else has ever done before in any shape or form?

Multiplayer: 8.5
Up to 16 players can shoot to their hearts’ consent, if they have broadband Internet access.

Overall: 8.7
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is the best PS2 shooter I've played all year.  It's the best Xbox shooter as well, second only to Halo 2 (did you really expect any game to top Bungie this year?).  It's different from Halo 2, very different, so Xbox players should be aware of that before jumping in.  Granted, the differences are good ones.  Some gamers like their shooters to be fast and spacey, like Halo 2.  Others like their games to be more realistic, more down to earth, like Call of Duty.  I like both, which is why I must play both.